Gary Gardner

[PaulTheVillan]

Can't be any worse than Bannan

[bob]

I'm surprised people have seen nothing special in Gardner.

It was at a lowly level, but he was the best player on the pitch by a distance in the NextGen and for England U21. Scored a hat-trick against Ajax and two goals from off the bench for England including free kicks, shots and headers. He could barely have been more impressive.

We will never know how good he might have been. No doubt his injuries will have taken their toll. Still time for him though and I wish him all the best as I am excited about his return.

[Summers]

I'm surprised people have seen nothing special in Gardner.

It was at a lowly level, but he was the best player on the pitch by a distance in the NextGen and for England U21. Scored a hat-trick against Ajax and two goals from off the bench for England including free kicks, shots and headers. He could barely have been more impressive.

We will never know how good he might have been. No doubt his injuries will have taken their toll. Still time for him though and I wish him all the best as I am excited about his return.

He looks fantastic from those videos, but when he has played for the first team he hasn't shown anything like that form or ability. He needs a run of games in the midfield, as a starter.

[N'Zimidy]

I'm surprised people have seen nothing special in Gardner.

It was at a lowly level, but he was the best player on the pitch by a distance in the NextGen and for England U21. Scored a hat-trick against Ajax and two goals from off the bench for England including free kicks, shots and headers. He could barely have been more impressive.

We will never know how good he might have been. No doubt his injuries will have taken their toll. Still time for him though and I wish him all the best as I am excited about his return.

He looks fantastic from those videos, but when he has played for the first team he hasn't shown anything like that form or ability. He needs a run of games in the midfield, as a starter.

It was his shot against Fulham that led to Weimann's tap in and valuable winner that kept us up. I also think he was really good against Wolves and Newcastle. He's certainly shown promise at a Premier League level, we just need him to stay injury free and he'll be better than Delph, Bannan and KEA in our current midfield.

[garyshawsknee]

Yeah, I thought the Newcastle game turned in our favour after he came on,shame we didn't get anything out of it.

[john robsons sideburns]

For me, he's shown glimpses, feint glimpses of being a David Platt type player, not particularly good at passing or visionary, not particularly good at defending, but someone who'll get in the box offering the potential to score vital goals, and who has a good shot on him.  I definitely don't have him down as a Sid Cowans type player, Samir Carruthers offer that kind of comparison, but I for the life of me cannot fathom how he is never given a chance to prove it.

[Bottom Right 89]

I'm surprised people have seen nothing special in Gardner.

It was at a lowly level, but he was the best player on the pitch by a distance in the NextGen and for England U21. Scored a hat-trick against Ajax and two goals from off the bench for England including free kicks, shots and headers. He could barely have been more impressive.

We will never know how good he might have been. No doubt his injuries will have taken their toll. Still time for him though and I wish him all the best as I am excited about his return.

I'm with Bob, can't believe people have hung him out to dry based on a few cameo appearances in a struggling first team, anyone who saw the nextgen games knows what this lad can do, if he comes back sound and gets a run in the team you'll see what everyone was raving about. What I like apart from his goalscoring and work rate is that he's a leader, he's always talking to the other players trying to get more out of them, remember one of the youth players (think it was Carruthers?) messed about and fluffed a chance against Marseille rather than square it for a simple tap in, Gardner grabbed him and gave him a proper bollocking reminded me of the sort of thing Roy Keane used to do.

[JJ-AV]

He's missed so much time out through injury who knows what he's going to be like?

That said I thought under McLeish he looked like he could be a goalscoring midfield player. I remember three or four occasions where he'd got into decent positions but lacked the composure to see it through. A few efforts snatched at.

[Ads]

I have never seen him play in the reserves, but everytime he has played first team football, I have been left wondering what I am supposed to be seeing in him?

It was hard for him to show his full potential in Alex McLeish's Aston Villa.  Last season I thought he looked very good in the away match to Wolves (his debut?) but as things became more desperate for Villa he got more and more lost in McLeish's backs-to-the-wall negative tactics.  Despite this, he made a telling contribution, firing the long range shot v Fulham at home that Andi Weimann bundled in. 

 

The only thing I recall him doing at Wolves is missing a sitter in the first five minutes.

He would obviously need time and if he is good enough, then great. I just haven't seen anything from him to suggest he is good as his brother yet.

[PaulTheVillan]

I have never seen him play in the reserves, but everytime he has played first team football, I have been left wondering what I am supposed to be seeing in him?

It was hard for him to show his full potential in Alex McLeish's Aston Villa.  Last season I thought he looked very good in the away match to Wolves (his debut?) but as things became more desperate for Villa he got more and more lost in McLeish's backs-to-the-wall negative tactics.  Despite this, he made a telling contribution, firing the long range shot v Fulham at home that Andi Weimann bundled in. 

 

The only thing I recall him doing at Wolves is missing a sitter in the first five minutes.

He would obviously need time and if he is good enough, then great. I just haven't seen anything from him to suggest he is good as his brother yet.

He missed a free header after about a minute.

Not seen anything (other than Jack Wilshere big him up) to suggest there's a decent player in there.

[eamonn]

Yeah, but you two are imossible to please.

[TheSandman]

I'm with Bob, can't believe people have hung him out to dry based on a few cameo appearances in a struggling first team, anyone who saw the nextgen games knows what this lad can do, if he comes back sound and gets a run in the team you'll see what everyone was raving about. What I like apart from his goalscoring and work rate is that he's a leader, he's always talking to the other players trying to get more out of them, remember one of the youth players (think it was Carruthers?) messed about and fluffed a chance against Marseille rather than square it for a simple tap in, Gardner grabbed him and gave him a proper bollocking reminded me of the sort of thing Roy Keane used to do.

No one's hanging him out to dry yet. To do so would be just as ridiculous as the next Hoddle, Platt, Cowans type comments. I wouldn't be surprised if he in time became a more than capable Premier League player, but as of yet, I'm yet to be convinced he is going to be a big star. Barry Bannan looked a fantastic player in the reserves and youth teams. Now most on here seem to be convinced he isn't good enough to be a League One player.

[Ads]

Exactly, I like to see something impressive before I will be impressed. I am not saying he is incapable of impressing me or that he won't go on to be a good player. I would just quite like to see it before I believe it.

[avfc_1874]

Time will tell but there is a difference in playing in a youth team full of confidence to a senior team drained of any whatsoever.

[old man villa fan]

He has made 17 1st team appearances, some of those just a few minutes.  How can people virtually write him off as just another average player.  Give the kid a chance.

Everybody has an opinion but there are so many that are being totally negative about absolutely everything.  There is not much to be upbeat about but there have been worse times, much worse.